One Hour
by LiveLaughLoveFP
Summary: "She has one hour to live." Team One gets a Hot Call to rescue a kidnapped teenage girl. They didn't know the whole story. Rated T to be safe. Please, just one review! Please!


Bored, I shifted my weight as I glanced around the nearly empty parking lot at Tim Horton's. With our only business coming through the drive-thru, my collecting tin for the charity felt hopelessly light. Several cars passed by my post but only one slid to a stop next to the curb. The man driving rolled down the window and beckoned me closer. My eyes slid over his van, emblazoned with the words 'Kyle's Plumbing' before I cautiously stepped closer. He beckoned again and I could see the glint of coins through his fingers. I stepped up to the window, fixed a smile on my face and held my collecting can up hopefully. As the man stretched out his hand to drop the coins, I registered a flash of movement to my right. I turned to step away but the man leaning out the side door of the van was faster. He caught me by the wrist with a callused hand and pressed a gun to the side of my head. Terrified, I looked around for anyone in sight but could only see the girl behind the counter inside the building. She wasn't looking. Panic began to break through my frozen terror; I started to struggle, digging in my heels and pulling away from the man. He swore, cuffing me on the side of the head and I swayed as stars burst behind my eyes. The man took advantage of my disorientation to pull me almost fully into the van. Finally, a scream broke through and I let loose the loudest, highest-pitched scream I could. I saw the girl look up just before the man hit me again with the gun and slammed the door.

~o~

"Hot call Team One! Suit up!" Winnie's voice over the loud-speaker sent Team One into action. The seven team members dropped everything and raced for the vehicles as the operator kept talking, "Armed abduction of a teenage girl. Weapon is a handgun, type unknown." Without looking up, she held the folder up in time for the Sergeant to grab as he rushed past. Greg Parker slapped the counter in thanks as he continued his way to the garages. By the time he arrived, the team had almost finished inventory and were calling out the last few items.

"Riot shields?"  
"Check!"  
"Tear gas?"  
"Check!"  
"Rookie?"  
"Check!"

Greg saw the Team Leader, Ed Lane, glance around quickly before yelling, "Sarge?"  
"Check!" he called back as he emerged from the stairwell. The team slammed the trunks in unison and climbed into the black SUVs in a well practised motion. They cranked the engines and roared out onto the street before 10 minutes had passed.

~o~

I groaned as I slowly came to awakeness, a sharp pain throbbing just above my ear. Blinking quickly, I looked around the darkened room, confused. Searching my memory, I found that the last thing I could remember was seeing the van door close and the girl behind the counter look up. I swallowed dryly and tried to take inventory. The side of my head felt sticky with congealed blood but everything seemed to be working. I whimpered and tried to pull my legs under me to get up but a tugging at my ankle caused me to freeze. A quick examination revealed my ankle hand-cuffed to the leg of a table which, in turn, had been bolted to the floor. I could move, but barely. The bolts showed no sign of giving way as I pulled at the cuff so I gave up when I started to cough on the dust rising from the table. Tears came to my eyes and I curled into a ball on the floor as I succumbed to them. Within a few minutes, my tears dried and I took a deep breath. I would not be one of those damsels-in-distress; I wouldn't give up. Moving slowly so my headache wouldn't come roaring back, I took another look at my holding cell. The room contained a few rickety tables, a small, unbarred window, only one door and what looked like almost an inch of dust. I was all alone. My breathing started to speed up again and I fought the panic. I had almost succeeded in containing it when the door slammed open. The sight of the two men brought the fear back in an all-consuming wave and I scooted as far away as my cuff would allow. Ignoring me, one of the two men punched his buddy in the shoulder and slung a gun back over his arm.

"It worked! They're on their way."

The other man smiled and turned his gaze on me. I stared back, eyes wide and fearful. He lingered on my curled-ball position on the floor and I began to tremble. He glanced back at the first man,

"What do you say we strengthen our insurance a bit? We want it to be impossible for him to resist."

I shut my eyes as the larger, light-haired man started towards me.

~o~

The Team screeched to a stop outside the Tim Horton's, various members leaping out before the SUVs had even stopped. Police officers had already flooded the area, their lights reflecting off the windows and store fronts. Anyone who could know anything sat inside; the employee was still in tears. The parents of the girl waited with several charity members, white-faced and silent. Greg grabbed his notebook and gestured over two of his officers. Julianna "Jules" Callaghan jogged over from questioning several officers while Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti, the team's bomb and tech expert, leapt down from the cab of the Mobile Command Truck.

"Jules, you're going to help me interrogate the witnesses. You'd better take the employee. She might respond better to a female right now. Don't push too hard. Spike, I need you to find out anything you can – family, school, the organization. Maybe she has a hidden personal life. Check the video cameras if there are any. Maybe we'll get lucky. We'll send you whatever we get."

Spike nodded and climbed into the back of the Truck, booting up the computers while Greg and Jules entered the building. Kevin "Wordy" Wordsworth plopped himself down in the Command Truck next to Spike while Ed and the rookie of the team, Sam Braddock, set off to question the police officers stationed around the area.

Jules took a deep breath as she entered the restaurant. She approached the girl carefully, trying not to startle her. She looked up at the officer with red-rimmed eyes as Jules settled herself into a chair across the table. "My name is Jules. I'm with the police. Can you tell me what happened?"

The girl wiped her eyes with the heels of her hands and sniffed, "I'm Cynthia, Cynthia Dover. Um...I was working on some homework at the counter. I wasn't looking. I should have been looking!" Cynthia burst back into tears, her words becoming incoherent. "She'd been there all morning. I sold her hot chocolate. I don't know what happened...I can't remember!"

Jules sighed silently and placed her hand on Cynthia's shoulder, "It's okay to feel upset. Anything you can remember will be helpful. What kind of car they drove, the colour, what the men looked like or what they wore, anything like that."

Cynthia trembled as she tried to pull herself together, "Um...they were driving a white van. It had...uh...'Kyle's Plumbing' or something written on it. I didn't see the men. Just the gun. I think there were two men."

Jules smiled and beckoned one of the other officers over, "Thank you Cynthia. That's very helpful. This officer will take you home now. Stay where we can get a hold of you please." Cynthia nodded as the officer escorted her out of the building and Jules switched on her headset to relay the information to Spike.

Meanwhile, Greg sat across from the girl's parents, notebook open and ready, "Mr. and Mrs. Montez, what can you tell me about your daughter, Gabriella?"

"Gabby," Mrs. Montez corrected, "I don't know what could be helpful. She's a good girl. She gets good grades, has a good group of friends. She's outgoing but not a party animal. She loves helping out at this charity and she does lots of activities outside of school. I can't think of anything that would have caused this!" She looked close to tears while her husband just shook his head, a blank look in his eyes. Greg hated to do it, but he had to press, "Nothing? No threats? She hasn't mentioned seeing anyone following her? Have you seen anyone suspicious hanging around? Does she have a boyfriend? No? Anyone close to her that she's stopped seeing?"

Mr. and Mrs. Montez shook their heads to each and Greg sighed before thanking them and standing up from the table. He headed out, hoping Jules had gotten more information when Spike's urgent voice burst over the headset, "Sarge! Winnie's got a call coming in!" Almost before Spike had finished talking, Greg slammed his way into the Truck, calling out orders.

"Put it on speaker," he ordered as the door clicked shut behind the rest of the team. They fell silent as a deep voice rumbled through the speakers, "We have the girl you are looking for. She is being held at 1035 Rushwood Lane." Wordy frowned in concentration – he could have sworn he recognized that voice. The speaker continued, "She has one hour to live." The dial tone droned on as the Team scrambled out of the truck, barking commands to the other officers. They had to get there in time.

~o~

This time, when I woke up, I knew exactly where I was and why my entire body hurt. My head throbbed as I tried to gently lever myself into a sitting position but I fell back with a gasp of pain. I could hardly breathe and could vaguely remember the men kicking me before I passed out. I tried to pull my knees in but a bolt of white hot pain in my ankle caused me to freeze. Tears threatened once again as I considered my situation and struggled to draw a deep breath. Suddenly, a loud bang sounded just above my head and I flinched, barely holding in a shriek. I turned, very carefully and saw the two men sitting at a table near me. My eyes widened when I saw the mess of wires and batteries spread in front of them. They could only be making a bomb.

After working for a while, the slighter, dark haired man pulled out a device and nudged his partner, "They're here." The light haired man carefully finished his current bomb and swept all of them into a bag. They grabbed their guns and hurried from the room, locking the door behind them. Barely a minute later, gunshots rang through the building. I held my breath, eyes wide in fear. Silence reigned. Heavy footsteps approached the door and stopped. I waited. With no warning, the door clicked open and a policeman tumbled into my room.

~o~

The Team pulled up outside the old factory as quietly as they could and gave the ramshackle building a quick once over. From what they knew from the video cameras at Tim Horton's, two men had performed the abduction, definitely a team who definitely knew what they were doing. With only 45 minutes left, Spike hopped back in the Command Truck to check for surveillance, and Sam took off to find a sniper perch as Ed and Wordy suited up to enter the building. Spike's voice crackled over the airwaves, "I can't find any video cameras but that doesn't mean anything. They probably know we're here and have booby-traps or something set up. I'll get my stuff in case there's a bomb." Ed and Wordy shouldered their weapons as their radios clicked off and crept in through the nearest side door, Wordy several feet ahead.

The mid-afternoon sunlight steamed in through the dirty windows, creating shadows and masking doorways. The men swept the building with their flashlights as they stalked forward towards a large pile of dusty and broken crates. Wordy had just reached the far corner of the pile when shots rang out and bullets shattered on the floor between the two men. Ed and Wordy returned fire even as they retreated, Ed towards the door, Wordy around the corner of the boxes, hoping to escape out the other side. He never made it. As he rounded the corner, the second man cracked him on the side of the head and dragged him, semi-conscious, up the stairs. He patted Wordy down just outside the door and quickly removed all his weapons as well as the cell-phone and headset. Satisfied, he shoved Wordy into the room and locked the door before hurrying off to help his partner place the bombs.

~o~

Wordy stifled a groan as he came to, lying on a dusty floor. His police training took over and he began scanning the room even as he checked himself for injuries. His eyes skipped over the window, the one door, a table, a girl...Gabby! He winced as he scrambled onto his knees and crawled over to her.

~o~

I watched with apprehension as the policeman slowly made his way over to me. "Hi," I whispered, "I'm Gabby."

He smiled and held out a hand to me, "I'm Kevin. My team calls me Wordy. We'll get you out of here." I smiled back and took his hand, allowing him to pull me into a somewhat sitting position. "Do you know the men that took you?" he asked as he moved around the room, examining both the door and the window.

I shook my head, "No, but one of them looks a bit like you." I had no idea those simple words would have such an impact on him. He spun around, colour draining from his face and I shuddered at the horror in his voice,

"No way, he wouldn't. It can't be. Tall and blonde? Is he with a guy who's a bit smaller with dark hair?" I nodded wordlessly as he began to pace, muttering to himself, "I thought I recognized his voice. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this. I should've done something. I should've known this was personal." He glanced at me and a pleading expression came over his face, "It's my fault they took you. I am so sorry. It's all my fault. Would you be able to forgive me?"

I opened my mouth to reply but the door slid open once again before I could say anything, the guns preceding the men. Wordy moved quickly to stand between them and me, hands open and spread wide.

"You can't do this, John. You know that. You know better. Think about it, is this worth it?" He spoke to the blonde man. My eyes widened; standing close together I could easily see the resemblance between the two men. The only conclusion I could draw... "John, we're brothers. I have to stop you. I can't let you do this." Wordy turned to the dark-haired man, "Kyle...you're his friend. You should have been the one to stop this, not help him carry it out."

The two men exchanged smirks, "Have you forgotten what you did to us? You had your own brother sent to jail for drug trafficking. Is that any way to treat family?" John shouted the words at his brother. "You helped send Kyle to jail for beating his wife. How do you know she didn't deserve it? What reason do we have to stop?" John pointed his gun directly at me. I felt my heart stop but I couldn't look away from the barrel.

Wordy spoke quickly, panicky, "John, don't! Let her go! She's innocent. It's me you want. Take me instead."

John chuckled, "It's not that simple, Kevin. If only you knew how completely this will destroy you." John nodded to Kyle and he tossed his handgun to Wordy, "Shoot the girl or we will shoot you. Not to kill. It won't kill you, at least, not at first."

Wordy looked down at the gun in his hand, and then turned to look at me. Tears came to my eyes at the expression of sorrow in his gaze. His shoulders straightened, his face calmed and he looked back at his brother, "No." He tossed his gun aside as his brother's gun came up.

John's finger hesitated on the trigger as an explosion rocked the building. He spared a glance for his friend and Kyle ran out of the room. John moved closer to Wordy, in arm's reach of me and I saw my chance. John pressed his gun to Wordy's chest and through tear-blinded eyes, I could see his finger on the trigger. I kicked out with my good leg and my foot connected with the back of John's knee just as he pulled the trigger. Wordy dropped and I crawled to him as fast as my injuries would allow. John coldly looked down at me and ran towards the door as gunshots erupted from the lower level. He paused at the door and attached a bomb to each side of the frame, setting a timer. Once the door closed, I knew there would be no way for anyone to enter the room without the bomb blowing. A hand encircled my wrist and I looked down, past my blood stained hands pressed to Wordy's stomach to his pain-filled expression.

~o~ _10 minutes earlier_

"Those bastards have gotten Wordy!" Ed pulled off his helmet and chucked it against the ground. "Boss, this is personal. What else could it be? They separated us on purpose in there." The team gathered together and looked to Greg for guidance. As their Sergeant, they trusted him and Greg felt that pressure strongly as he scrambled to come up with a solution,

"Okay, our first step is to get into the building and neutralize the two men. We are going to assume every door is booby-trapped so I want Spike to check everything before anyone goes in." Spike nodded and so did the rest of the team. "Next..."

Greg paused as an unfamiliar voice sounded over their headsets, "We have your man. If you know what's best, you'll back off. Yes, he's alive but not for long. If you want to live, leave now."

Static filled each person's ears as the team looked at each other in horror. Greg counted a full ten seconds before Ed spoke up, "You guys know the drill. This changes nothing! Get everything you can carry; everyone had better take basic bomb defusing stuff – pliers, clippers, the works. Someone get the paramedics on stand-by now. Spike, start checking out that door – we roll in five."

"Five, four, three, two, one" _Boom! _Spike counted down as the team crouched behind the SUVs. Sure, he could have defused the bomb attached to the door but it would have taken time they didn't have. Besides, the bomb didn't have enough fire power to cause any real damage.

Even before the smoke cleared, the Team ran forward and slowed into formation just inside the crumbling wall. Clanging footsteps drew their attention upwards and they dived for cover as bullets ricocheted around them. From around a corner, Sam could see the man through his scope, focused on the area where Greg and Jules had taken cover. Lifting his gun to his shoulder, Sam lined up his shot and squeezed the trigger, dropping the man. The sudden silence spoke louder than any gunshot. The Team moved out of hiding and back into formation. No-one mentioned the abductor-turned-victim. They swept through the rest of the ground floor quickly, the second abductor nowhere to be seen. Reaching the second level, Greg called for paramedics to retrieve the victim as the team carefully stepped around him making their way along the passage. The Team saw no sign of their teammate or the missing girl as they cleared rooms along the hall. A quick glance at their watches told them they were running out of time. At last, they reached the last few doors along the hall.

Spike immediately ran forward and examined the closest door, placing an electronic scanner on the frame, "This one's clean Sarge." As his teammates kicked in the door, surveying the room, he moved to the next, "This one's rigged! Different setup than the others. It's on a timer!" The team gathered around him. "There's no way to get in that I can see. See this here?" He pointed to the screen, "I bet it's rigged to blow if we break the circuit. If we don't, the bomb blows anyway. If they're in here, the blast would kill them."

"Only one way to find out," Ed growled grimly and banged on the door. "Hello? Is there anyone in there?" The team fell silent, listening intently and took off running when they heard a muffled voice call back, "Yes! We're here! You have to hurry!"

The door might be rigged but there could be a window.

~o~

"You're going to be alright," I whispered to Wordy as the voices of his team faded away. I pulled off my sweater, folding it up to place over the wound. I pressed down hard - Wordy's face turning even whiter as he gasped. As we waited for his team to come back, I talked to Wordy, crouched beside him, my cuffed leg stretched back towards the table. My sweater slowly became soaked with blood and I worried, but Wordy's eyes never left my face. I found myself crying as I spoke to him, my hands still tightly pressed to the blood-soaked bundle on his stomach. I could not let this man die; he risked his life to save me when so many others wouldn't. I had done all I could, everything rested on his team now. As if my thoughts had summoned them, a sudden tapping at the window brought my head jerking up. Two officers hung there, with a device I could only assume they used to break the window. The smaller one gestured to me to cover my face. I nodded, turning my face away, one arm putting pressure on the wound, the other blocking Wordy's face. Seconds later, the window shattered, splinters of glass blasting everywhere. I flinched as several shards sliced across my arms but didn't relax my position until I heard the crunch of the officers landing on the glass-ridden floor.

~o~

In full rappelling gear, Spike and Jules stood at the edge of the roof, receiving their last instructions, "Spike, you disable the bomb. Paramedics will be waiting in the hall. Jules, you help Gabby and Wordy as they need it. We don't know what went on in there so be prepared to be really gentle with her." The two nodded their understanding and stepped backwards over the edge. As they pulled level with the window, the sight of their teammate, unmoving and covered in blood would haunt them for years. Jules tapped gently on the glass, causing the girl to start and look up. She mimed covering her face and Gabby turned away, covering both her face and Wordy's. Spike placed the explosive window-entry device against the glass and seconds later they swung down, landing inside the room. Spike darted over to the rigged door, his boots crunching through glass and sighed with relief when he saw the simplicity to the bomb. Within seconds, he had it disabled and pulled the door open to admit the paramedics. Jules crouched by the girl, comforting her and he hung back until she gestured him over to help.

~o~

"Gabriella? Gabby? My name is Jules. I'm here to help you."

I looked up into Jules' face and tried to smile through my tears. I was finally safe. The woman named Jules touched me gently on the shoulder, and I looked away, back to Wordy. His lips quirked up slightly in a smile and his eyes flickered over to the door. I followed his gaze and caught a glimpse of the paramedics on their way in. I reached down and took hold of Wordy's hand as the medics arrived but a new tugging on my ankle distracted me. I glanced back and saw the other cop, a guy, bent over my ankle, fiddling with the cuff. I bit back a yelp of pain as the cuff tightened momentarily before loosening. He grinned at me and Jules spoke again, "Gabby, this is Spike. He's part of our team. He wants to help too."

He slowly reached out a hand to me and I flinched. Wordy's hand tightened around mine as the paramedics worked on him and I looked down before peeking back at Spike. He gave a hesitant smile when he caught my eye and left his hand extended towards me. I steeled myself and slowly reached back, letting him gently hold my hand. The smile on his face brought an answering smile to mine until one of the paramedics loosened my hand from Wordy's. Instantly, panic overcame me and I struggled to stand. The paramedics barely noticed except to say, "We'll be back for you in a minute. Sit tight," and exchanged a glance with the officers. I still struggled to get up, ignoring the officers' cautious words, until I collapsed from the pain. An instant later, Spike and Jules crouched in front of me. Their concerned gazes said it all.

"It hurts," I whimpered, "Everywhere. But I need...I need to...Wordy."

Spike and Jules exchanged a glance, "C'mon, we'll help you up. We'll get you out there." On one side, I wrapped an arm around Spike's neck and on the other, I clasped Jules' hand. I gathered my good leg beneath me and stood, shaky and wobbling before I could take a hopping step. Together, they helped me hobble my way out of the room and down the hall. When we came to the stairs, exhaustion overwhelmed me and I swayed, staring down the seemingly endless flight.

"I can't. I just can't," I whispered. "Can you help me?" In response, Spike scooped my legs out from under me, lifting me as easily as a child. I tensed, before forcing myself to relax as he carried me down the stairs and out the door, Jules close behind.

Outside, an ambulance waited for me, another just closing its doors. I looked around for the two men, hoping to see them handcuffed but they were nowhere in sight. Seeing my look, Jules murmured, "We shot one. The other officers caught the blonde one trying to escape. They took him away already."

I nodded, satisfied and hissed in pain as Spike set me down on the waiting gurney. He smiled and turned to go but I caught his hand as the paramedics started to strap me into the bed. He turned back, confusion written across his face and I whispered, "Thank you...for everything. And tell your team thank you for me." The confusion vanished, replaced by a smile and he nodded. As the paramedics started to load me into the ambulance, I watched Spike join his teammates and speak to them. As one, they turned to face me and several raised their hands in a wave. I raised mine back, ignoring the twinge of pain and the ambulance doors closed.

~o~ _2 days later_

"But I need to go see him!" I pleaded with the nurse.  
"No," she replied firmly. "You haven't healed enough yet. You have to think of your leg, your ribs."  
"But he saved my life! I have to go see him."  
The nurse sighed, "Fine, but only for a few minutes."

All the way to Wordy's room, I thought about what to say. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted but upon entering his room, my confidence deserted me. From the bed, Wordy took in my beet red face, the bulky walking cast, my shy posture and held out his hand. Feeling more at ease, I left the nurse waiting by the door, walking over to take his hand.

"Hi, I'm Gabby."  
He smiled, "I'm Kevin. My team calls me Wordy."

I smiled back and allowed the nurse to herd me back to my own room.

**AN:** I hope you guys like this. This is the longest thing I have ever written (not counting projects) so I hope it turned out okay. This was written for a Creative Writing assignment so if I explain who everyone is, that's why. I'm sorry, no Lewis. I don't know him well enough to write him for something like this. I tried really hard to not make my OC, Gabby, a Mary Sue but I'm not sure I succeeded. I would really appreciate feedback. I do not own Flashpoint. I only own a couple ideas and my own characters.


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